Aa
HRT
What side effects have you experienced since starting HRT.
I started 1 week ago today and I still have hot flashes and I have been very emotional the past few days. Is this normal? I am on antibiotics and have been for 4 weeks for wound separation. Could this affect the performance of the hormones?
I started 1 week ago today and I still have hot flashes and I have been very emotional the past few days. Is this normal? I am on antibiotics and have been for 4 weeks for wound separation. Could this affect the performance of the hormones?
Gia,
The following list is from information from Dr. John Lee (considered a Pioneer in Progetesterone research)
Benefits of Progesterone (whether producing naturally in the body or through using Bioidentical (also known as Botanical or Natural) Progestreone:
Helps use fat for energy and keep it off hips
Natural diuretic (water pill)
Natural anti-depressant
Facilitates thyroid hormone action
Normalizes blood clotting
Increases libido
Normalizes blood sugar levels
Normalizes zinc and copper levels
Restores proper cell oxygen levels
Prevents endometrial cancer
Helps prevent breast cancer
Increases bone building
All due respect to your doctors, but I know this is a confusing area and the way I look at it, well, it is a specialty. Luckily my doctor was willing to learn about the benefits of using the progesterone when I presented the idea to him back in the summer of 2001 which was about 8 months after my surgery. By this time, I had been suffering from the lack of progesterone since three months after my surgery...(it takes about three months for the progesterone that is in your body before the surgery to totally leave the system. It was then that I started to feel as if I was losing my mind. I know that sounds dramatic, and I honestly would not wish this on anyone, and not all are going to feel this way, but I felt this way and had no clue why. But, I had learned the value of research years ago and so I was on a mission, although my mission took the form of a book practically landing on my feet at the Grocery store of all places. It was Northrup's book on Menopause. I had a bit of a history with Northrup since it was the information in the first book she had written that got me through a bout with Severe Cervical dysplasia after I was told by my first doctor to "Wait." I did not wait and ended up in surgery for near cervical cancer. This same doctor was the one who brushed me off when they found the cyst that later, when drained, had malignant cells in it. I was with my current doctor by this time. I was starting, too, to feel the power of advocacy. So it was in this vein that I approaced my doctor (top guy in MN) about using the progesterone. The Oncologist had put the Vivelle dot on me the day after surgery without a word....that was it.
The compounding pharmacist in a little town south of here actually "taught" my doctor about the value of progesterone and I know from seeing my doctor for my yearly exams that many of the women he works with now use the product.
MORE in a Second....
The following list is from information from Dr. John Lee (considered a Pioneer in Progetesterone research)
Benefits of Progesterone (whether producing naturally in the body or through using Bioidentical (also known as Botanical or Natural) Progestreone:
Helps use fat for energy and keep it off hips
Natural diuretic (water pill)
Natural anti-depressant
Facilitates thyroid hormone action
Normalizes blood clotting
Increases libido
Normalizes blood sugar levels
Normalizes zinc and copper levels
Restores proper cell oxygen levels
Prevents endometrial cancer
Helps prevent breast cancer
Increases bone building
All due respect to your doctors, but I know this is a confusing area and the way I look at it, well, it is a specialty. Luckily my doctor was willing to learn about the benefits of using the progesterone when I presented the idea to him back in the summer of 2001 which was about 8 months after my surgery. By this time, I had been suffering from the lack of progesterone since three months after my surgery...(it takes about three months for the progesterone that is in your body before the surgery to totally leave the system. It was then that I started to feel as if I was losing my mind. I know that sounds dramatic, and I honestly would not wish this on anyone, and not all are going to feel this way, but I felt this way and had no clue why. But, I had learned the value of research years ago and so I was on a mission, although my mission took the form of a book practically landing on my feet at the Grocery store of all places. It was Northrup's book on Menopause. I had a bit of a history with Northrup since it was the information in the first book she had written that got me through a bout with Severe Cervical dysplasia after I was told by my first doctor to "Wait." I did not wait and ended up in surgery for near cervical cancer. This same doctor was the one who brushed me off when they found the cyst that later, when drained, had malignant cells in it. I was with my current doctor by this time. I was starting, too, to feel the power of advocacy. So it was in this vein that I approaced my doctor (top guy in MN) about using the progesterone. The Oncologist had put the Vivelle dot on me the day after surgery without a word....that was it.
The compounding pharmacist in a little town south of here actually "taught" my doctor about the value of progesterone and I know from seeing my doctor for my yearly exams that many of the women he works with now use the product.
MORE in a Second....
i am so confused....why do I need progesterone?? none of my Doctors has suggested this since my hysterectomy last May!!! I am on 0.5 2x a week on the vivelle dot patch. Please explain this to me as I just went for my yearly checkup and when I asked my Doctor she said no progesterone needed because uterus was taken out. I am new to all this so if you can give me further details I would appreciate it. Thanks, Gia
Don't confuse Progesterone with Progestin. They are totally different. Progestin is a synthetic that is not the same as what your body manufactures. Bio identical progesterone is as close as they can replicate what your body manufactures. Think about diabetics and insulin. That too would be considered a bio.
Progestin causes uterine cancer, and other bad things, yes. Progesterone is a different thing all together. You need progesterone. Google the two.
And To Mary53, you must get tired of repeating yourself sometimes!! But I thank you every day, you helped me more than you will ever know!!
Regards,
Katie
Progestin causes uterine cancer, and other bad things, yes. Progesterone is a different thing all together. You need progesterone. Google the two.
And To Mary53, you must get tired of repeating yourself sometimes!! But I thank you every day, you helped me more than you will ever know!!
Regards,
Katie
I have been on vivelle dot patch for 9 months...I still experience slight hot flashes and occassional mood swings..I try very hard to remember to change the patch and when I am a day or 2 late thats when I notice I feel different. I have tried to go without and suffer many other symptoms so I am only 41 and need to be on the patch. I dont take progesterone since I dont have a uterus..other than that I dont really suffer from any other symptoms. Any questions feel free to ask! gia :)
WOW...I could have sworn that I posted a comment to the doctor's comments way back in January. I read the article he referred to just the day before. Wyeth was/is lobbying big government to do away with the bio's (AGAIN. GOSH...I write letters and sign petitions to try to halt this ridiculous issue each year) and the FDA responded by trying to get SEVEN????? seven? compounding drugstores to stop using Estriol, which is used all the time in Europe and has been used sucessfully for years. It is newer to this country. I have used it for non-systemic vaginal atrophy help as well as part of a mixture of estrogens (estrodial and estriol) but I now just use Estradial.
Also, accusations that the bioidentical hormones have not been studied is a comment that does not have a leg to stand on in my opinion. Shall I send them references to where they can get a study?
Interestingly enough, and Katie may have covered this (it is late and I am tired)...more people in government and in the courts are looking at this action and wondering why government is getting so involved in all this...and telling women what they can and cannot use AND wondering why the FDA is leaning toward listening to the lobbying efforts of a large pharmaceutical company.
I also will never forget the report done by Katie Couric a few years ago when the head of the North American Menopause Society (a doctor) got on camera and said that the bio's and the synthetics were treated no differently in the body. Well....The Day AFTER the two-part show was aired, the North American Menopause Society put out a disclaimer on the CBS news and admitted it was "Wrong"....that in fact the bios and the synthetics do NOT act the same way in the body. There were differences...oops. Was I the only person in America watching this the day after the big airing of the show which was laced with misinformation.
Then yesterday, Dr. Erika Schwartz sent out a newsletter all about the Wall Street Journal and the attention it is paying to the bioidentical hormones used for menopausal women (remember that Synthroid and insulin are both bioidentical hormones) and that they are now questioning the statements put out by the big pharm. companies who product the synthetics.
Time for bed. Hoping someday allll of this will e much clearer and available for women without the feeling we hae to jump through hoops.
Goodnight.
Mary
Also, accusations that the bioidentical hormones have not been studied is a comment that does not have a leg to stand on in my opinion. Shall I send them references to where they can get a study?
Interestingly enough, and Katie may have covered this (it is late and I am tired)...more people in government and in the courts are looking at this action and wondering why government is getting so involved in all this...and telling women what they can and cannot use AND wondering why the FDA is leaning toward listening to the lobbying efforts of a large pharmaceutical company.
I also will never forget the report done by Katie Couric a few years ago when the head of the North American Menopause Society (a doctor) got on camera and said that the bio's and the synthetics were treated no differently in the body. Well....The Day AFTER the two-part show was aired, the North American Menopause Society put out a disclaimer on the CBS news and admitted it was "Wrong"....that in fact the bios and the synthetics do NOT act the same way in the body. There were differences...oops. Was I the only person in America watching this the day after the big airing of the show which was laced with misinformation.
Then yesterday, Dr. Erika Schwartz sent out a newsletter all about the Wall Street Journal and the attention it is paying to the bioidentical hormones used for menopausal women (remember that Synthroid and insulin are both bioidentical hormones) and that they are now questioning the statements put out by the big pharm. companies who product the synthetics.
Time for bed. Hoping someday allll of this will e much clearer and available for women without the feeling we hae to jump through hoops.
Goodnight.
Mary
Thank you for taking the time to wander into this issue! I must say I do enjoy your insights and humour (not a spelling error, I am Canadian :) on your many and varied posts on the Medhelp site.
You refer to the FDA.
Please could you take the time to read this text from Drerika.com
Wyeth has won FDA approval for its new antidepressant Pristiq.
Yes, the same FDA who has just told us "bioidentical hormones" don't exist, the same FDA who has told compounding pharmacists to stop using Estriol, the mildest of estrogens when it helped hundreds of thousands of women with menopausal symptoms.
Yes, the FDA whose mandate is to protect the public has spoken again. This time, it didn't take one of its hundreds of FDA approved dangerous flops off the market, this time it has added yet another antidepressant to an already endless list of drugs that don't work to the market. Unfortunately this is proof yet again that the FDA is more anxious to protect Wyeth's profits than the wellbeing of the American public.
This is a particularly ominous development for women - Wyeth is also asking the FDA to approve Pristiq as a drug to reduce hot flashes in menopause.
Pristiq is the successor to Effexor XR, whose patent expires in two years.
Sales of Effexor last year were $3.8 billion.
By the way, Effexor is not exactly a great drug either.
Just check my blog on the topic and read about its side-effects and disastrous record when it comes to attempting to get off it.
But let me get back to what matters. The new drug provides a lucrative new revenue stream for Wyeth. How lucrative? Well, on the day it won FDA approval (February 29) Wyeth stock soared 2.5% while the rest of Wall St tumbled 315 points. Did I mention any benefits to patients? I would, if I could think of any. One thing I'd like to ask the FDA and Wyeth is how many people (women) have taken this drug for how long before it got through the approval process? And by the way, did anyone have any adverse reactions we might consider serious enough to skip the drug altogether? The prospect of Pristiq being approved for menopause is truly disturbing and proves the FDA has relinquished any pretence of protecting women. Treating menopause with anti-depressants is ineffective and dangerous. If women are depressed during menopause it is because their hormones are depleted and most conventional doctors discard their symptoms and tell them they are just getting old and should just get over it and go away. The sensible and caring way to deal with the problems of menopause is to help women understand what happened to their bodies, how their diets affect the way they feel, how exercise improves the symptoms, how stress management helps them get the sleep they need, how supplementing their hormones with bioidentical hormones can help them get their lives back on track and enlighten the world with the wisdom they acquired along the way.
The solution is not going to be found in giving them another drug to become dependent upon. Instead, the FDA is making it harder for women to find safe, sensible alternatives. You'd think they'd done enough favors for Wyeth.
You can read more on her site. Hey she may be a snake oil salesmen in the opinion of some, but I like reading what she has to say.
Thanks again and best wishes from
Katie
PS I went through surgical menopause two years ago, my doctor has me on the Estradot patch and I use bioidentical progesterone cream. The estrogen patch works far better when I use the progesterone.
You refer to the FDA.
Please could you take the time to read this text from Drerika.com
Wyeth has won FDA approval for its new antidepressant Pristiq.
Yes, the same FDA who has just told us "bioidentical hormones" don't exist, the same FDA who has told compounding pharmacists to stop using Estriol, the mildest of estrogens when it helped hundreds of thousands of women with menopausal symptoms.
Yes, the FDA whose mandate is to protect the public has spoken again. This time, it didn't take one of its hundreds of FDA approved dangerous flops off the market, this time it has added yet another antidepressant to an already endless list of drugs that don't work to the market. Unfortunately this is proof yet again that the FDA is more anxious to protect Wyeth's profits than the wellbeing of the American public.
This is a particularly ominous development for women - Wyeth is also asking the FDA to approve Pristiq as a drug to reduce hot flashes in menopause.
Pristiq is the successor to Effexor XR, whose patent expires in two years.
Sales of Effexor last year were $3.8 billion.
By the way, Effexor is not exactly a great drug either.
Just check my blog on the topic and read about its side-effects and disastrous record when it comes to attempting to get off it.
But let me get back to what matters. The new drug provides a lucrative new revenue stream for Wyeth. How lucrative? Well, on the day it won FDA approval (February 29) Wyeth stock soared 2.5% while the rest of Wall St tumbled 315 points. Did I mention any benefits to patients? I would, if I could think of any. One thing I'd like to ask the FDA and Wyeth is how many people (women) have taken this drug for how long before it got through the approval process? And by the way, did anyone have any adverse reactions we might consider serious enough to skip the drug altogether? The prospect of Pristiq being approved for menopause is truly disturbing and proves the FDA has relinquished any pretence of protecting women. Treating menopause with anti-depressants is ineffective and dangerous. If women are depressed during menopause it is because their hormones are depleted and most conventional doctors discard their symptoms and tell them they are just getting old and should just get over it and go away. The sensible and caring way to deal with the problems of menopause is to help women understand what happened to their bodies, how their diets affect the way they feel, how exercise improves the symptoms, how stress management helps them get the sleep they need, how supplementing their hormones with bioidentical hormones can help them get their lives back on track and enlighten the world with the wisdom they acquired along the way.
The solution is not going to be found in giving them another drug to become dependent upon. Instead, the FDA is making it harder for women to find safe, sensible alternatives. You'd think they'd done enough favors for Wyeth.
You can read more on her site. Hey she may be a snake oil salesmen in the opinion of some, but I like reading what she has to say.
Thanks again and best wishes from
Katie
PS I went through surgical menopause two years ago, my doctor has me on the Estradot patch and I use bioidentical progesterone cream. The estrogen patch works far better when I use the progesterone.
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